For Therapists
Grieving lost sexual intimacy
My recent research has been about grieving sexuality during a terminal illness and after the death of an intimate partner. There is very little published data about this, and the data that does exist suggests that neither hospice staff nor grief therapists, or even friends, consider this something to be discussed. The sad part, for…
< Read More >Being the therapist on the first anniversary of violent tragedies
Next week will be a difficult anniversary day for many people in my community. We are one county away from Las Vegas, and it is considered almost our backyard. Holiday weekends the passes are jammed as folks from our area head that way, and folks from Vegas come the opposite direction. On the weekend of…
< Read More >When your grieving client is triggered by a national event: Five things you can do
I spent part of this weekend watching all the coverage of John McCain’s death, mixed on Sunday with the shooting in Jacksonville. It was Loss 101 all weekend. I knew that Monday would bring a week of clients who were working on their own losses already and were going to be at the least impacted…
< Read More >Grief for Therapists- when it happens to you
When grief happens- and you still have to be a therapist I had the opportunity to record a podcast with Kelly Higdon, LMFT, of Zinny Me. We talked about what happens when grief happens and you are working- something that happens far to often, and is frequently not a topic amongst therapists. In fact, on…
< Read More >More, and more, and more shootings
It’s been such a long two weeks, hasn’t it? Parkland, Florida. A university yesterday. Families. Domestic violence. Two more schools after Parkland. Scenes of Pulse survivors helping Parkland survivors along with Columbine survivors and Sandy Hook parents and comfort dogs. As a therapist, have you been hit with the impact of all of this? I’m…
< Read More >What Therapists Say Matters To Our Grieving Clients
I’m sure you just read that title and replied in your head “Of course it does!” Why would I even think about writing a blog for therapists presupposing that they did not know that core piece of the therapeutic relationship? When you run a practice based largely on grief and loss, you get to hear…
< Read More >Grief from the (Flexible) Therapist’s Chair
I’ve had the opportunity to spend the last several days at he Evolution of Psychotherapy Conference in Anaheim, California. We are surrounded by upwards of 6,000 fellow therapists of all kinds- psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers (go my team!), clinical counselors, marriage and family therapists, and students and interns of all sorts. I think I have…
< Read More >Why it’s important for grievers to find the help they need on their level
We all want to be the very best we can be with and for our clients. We look for extra education to ensure our skills are where there need to be. We consult with colleagues. We check our boundaries and work with those who fit our practices. But not every client is meant for therapy,…
< Read More >What not to say to grieving clients
A new client arrives, and during your first session they disclose that they have had a recent death and are there for grief support. What words come to mind? What should you say? More importantly, what should you not say? In my practice, I give lots of space, and have them tell their story. No…
< Read More >Taking care of yourself when a client is dying
Self-care is a big topic in the world of therapists and mental health providers. It should be- we cannot do our best when we are not at our best. As a former hospice social worker, I am comfortable working with clients who come to me with a terminal illness, or who become ill while we…
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